Target 140: place unused ice cubes in your pot plants.

The 4 minute shower

As you can see, the Queensland Water Commission is giving very useful advice. The average use of water across the city has hit a nadir of 127L per person per day. I can go with "yellow let it mellow, brown flush it down" but generally speaking, it is becoming harder to stay cheerful about the drought.

In first year psychology tutorials we were taught that in difficult times, it can be helpful to write down the pros and cons of a situation. [Really?] So, after years of perpetually fine weather, here are my lists to date.

Good things about the drought:

~It doesn’t rain.

~Losing favourite umbrella in 1998 no longer an issue.

~Cockroaches large enough to have landing lights rarely seen.

~Drought fighting community spirit to the fore (expect to hear re-worked WWI songs any day now).

~Free 4 minute hourglass egg timer from Queensland Water Commission.

~Jungle of weeds growing with less vigour; fewer withering looks from garden-obsessed neighbours.

~Less spent on lawn-mowing (countered by increased cost of lettuces and avocados though).

~Tomato vine on back door neighbour’s fence dying.


Bad things about the drought:

~It doesn’t rain.

~Everything is grey-green, brown-green or yellow-green but never green-green.

~Garden-obsessed neighbours very sad.

~Previous swamp lands drained. Urban sprawl sprawling. New houses built without insect screening. Dengue fever epidemic when drought breaks (not joking).

~The 4 minute shower.

~Large family of cane toads now resident under water mains cover: assistance and or moral support from Mission Control (Mum and Dad) required in order to change tap washers.

~Price of veggies going up (more consideration given to virtues of string beans and frozen spinach).

~City may run out of water (Brisbane a weatherboard Fatehpur Sikri?)